‘Euphoria’: Barbie Ferreira Leaving as Kat Ahead of Season 3 on HBO

Euphoria‘s classrooms will have one less student in them (though it’s not like they ever go to class anyway): Barbie Ferreira, who played Kat in the HBO teen drama’s first two seasons, says she’s leaving the series ahead of its upcoming Season 3.

Ferreira announced the news in an Instagram story (first reported by Vulture), saying: “After four years of getting to embody the most special and enigmatic character Kat, I’m having to say a very teary-eyed goodbye. I hope many of you could see yourself in her like I did and that she brought you joy to see her journey into the character she is today. I put all my care and love into her and I hope you guys could feel it. Love you Katherine Hernandez.” (TVLine has reached out to HBO for confirmation.)

Ferreira was a series regular on the acclaimed drama, debuting as Kat in the 2019 series premiere. But after a freshman season that saw Kat experiment with sexually explicit videos and get a nice boyfriend named Ethan, Season 2 found her taking a backseat to other characters, though she appeared in all eight episodes. Amid reports of tension between Ferreira and series creator Sam Levinson, The Daily Beast claimed that Ferreira injured herself while filming a Season 2 hot tub scene. HBO denied that the production was unsafe, saying in a statement it “was in full compliance with all safety guidelines and guild protocols” and “there were never any formal inquiries raised.”

Euphoria was renewed for Season 3 in February; this year’s sophomore season earned 16 Emmy nominations, including one for Outstanding Drama Series.

Will you miss seeing Kat on Euphoria? Hit the comments to share your thoughts.